Robert Coombe, who came to the University of Denver as a faculty member in 1981 and went on to serve as the school’s provost and chancellor, said Friday he will retire in June.

“This summer I will have been chancellor for nine years, and this year will mark both the completion of our ASCEND campaign and the 150th anniversary of the University’s founding,” Coombe said in a statement. “The university will be developing a new strategic plan over the coming months and will be moving into a new phase that will require steady leadership for at least another decade. It will be an exciting new time, and we should have a new leader for that new time.”

Launched in 2006 and scheduled to end in June, ASCEND has raised more than $450 million for the university.

Coombe served as DU’s provost between 2001-05 before becoming its 17th chancellor in 2005.

“The board has accepted Bob’s decision with regret but is excited about DU’s prospects for the future. I had desired that he stay longer, but understand and accept his decision to step down now,” Trygve Myhren, chairman of the Board of Trustees, said in a statement.

The board will form a search committee within the next 10 days to find Coombe’s replacement. The school hopes to make a hire by the end of the current school year after an international search.

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